Chapter 246: Enter The Zone

The endless grassland stretched quietly under the white sun.

A soft breeze passed.

And then—

“…She’s not her.”

Zane’s voice cut through the moment.

Maera and Selene blinked, still staring at Eira.

“She’s Eira,” Zane continued calmly. “And don’t worry about her appearance.”

Then he looked at Eira’s exaggerated blank face.

“…And you—stop acting. You’re overdoing it.”

Eira instantly dropped the expression.

“Anyway,” she said casually, clapping her hands once, “boss, take out the bots. I custom-made them. They’re in your dimensional bag.”

Zane didn’t question it. He reached in and pulled out several small doll-like figures.

They looked like miniature versions of Eira.

He tossed them onto the ground one by one.

Maera frowned. “What… are those?”

Before Zane could answer—

Eira raised her hand.

“Command: initiate startup.”

The dolls trembled.

Then—

They expanded.

Slowly at first… then rapidly.

Metal stretched. Frames extended. Their bodies grew until each one stood at full human height.

Within seconds—

A full formation stood before them.

Dozens of them.

Humanoid.

And identical to Eira in outfit and hair

But—

They had no faces.

Smooth, blank surfaces where a face should’ve been.

The three students froze.

Selene’s eyes widened—not in fear, but fascination.

Maera instinctively took a step back as her tail fur standing up.

Drevin’s grip tightened slightly.

Eira smirked.

“Meet…” she said with a slight flourish,

“Enchanted Intelligence & Reactive Automaton.”

A short pause.

“…Or E.I.R.A Bots.”

Zane glanced at her.

Hmm… nice name.

Eira continued, completely proud of herself.

“These will handle everything here—food, support, and…”

Her eyes gleamed slightly.

“…training.”

Selene’s gaze didn’t leave the bots. Her mind was already racing.

This… is an artifact…? No… something beyond that…

Zane stepped forward.

“Alright.”

His tone shifted.

“No more looking around.”

“Let’s start.”

He raised his hand slightly.

“E.I.R.A Bots—go.”

The moment the command was given—

They moved…

But not slowly and cautiously.

They surged forward.

Straight toward Maera, Selene, and Drevin.

To attack.

The moment the bots moved, panic flashed across their faces.

But it lasted only a second.

They steadied themselves and reacted.

Maera’s twin red bracelets lit up and reshaped into her clawed gauntlets. Selene’s staff shrank into a wand in her hand, and Drevin smoothly drew his bow from behind his back.

They engaged.

Drevin fired first. Shadow arrows shot forward, fast and precise—but when they struck the bot, nothing happened.

No impact.

No damage.

His eyes narrowed.

Before he could react again, one of the E.I.R.A bots leapt into the air and slammed its fist into the ground near Maera. She barely dodged in time.

The moment the fist hit—

A massive explosion erupted.

The ground cracked open, forming a deep crater.

Maera froze mid-step, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“…What the fu—”

Zane turned his head slowly toward Eira.

“…Did you set them to their level?”

Eira gave an awkward look, then stuck her tongue out playfully.

“…Not my fault they’re weak.”

Zane sighed.

“Halt.”

Instantly, all bots stopped.

The battlefield went silent.

Maera, Selene, and Drevin stood there, breathing heavily. The difference in power was obvious. That wasn’t training—that was overwhelming.

Zane stepped forward slightly.

“That one’s on Eira. They were set too high in power level .”

He glanced at her.

“Adjust them properly.”

Eira shrugged and snapped her fingers. The bots flickered faintly, recalibrating.

Then Zane looked back at the three of them. His expression had changed.

More serious now.

“You’re not ready.”

The words landed without emotion.

“If you want to save your friends, you need to step into the next level.”

None of them argued.

They knew it.

Zane continued, “That’s why I will teach each of you something that will boost your combat power to a sufficient level….”

He looked at each of them.

“…But only if you enter the zone.”

Selene frowned slightly. “Zone…?”

She blinked. “I’ve never heard of something like that, Professor.”

Maera leaned in slightly, curious, as her wolf ear stood while Drevin stayed silent, listening closely.

Zane nodded.

“Well….It’s a state where your body, mind, and mana align perfectly with your surrounding ambient mana.”

They still looked confused.

Zane exhaled lightly.

“Let me explain it in a simpler way.”

He looked at them one by one.

“Think back to your previous fights like when you were in dungeon or when the academy was attacked. When I wasn’t here. When you were pushed to your limits.”

Their expressions changed slightly.

“You were injured. Exhausted. But you kept fighting.”

His voice lowered just a bit.

“For your friends.”

“For someone important.”

“And at some point… you stopped thinking about pain.”

“You were fully immersed.”

All three of them paused.

Then slowly—

They nodded.

They had felt it.

Zane continued.

“That’s the zone.”

“When a being enter it, their cognitive ability increases and learning speed skyrockets.”

He looked at Selene raising one finger.

“What you would normally take months to understand… you can grasp in matter of days.”

Selene’s eyes widened.

“Then…”

Zane nodded.

“That’s why I need you in that state.”

He turned slightly toward the bots.

“And the way to trigger it…”

A small pause.

“…is combat.”

“Relentless….bloody battle.”

Maera understood first.

“…So you mean—”

Zane smirked.

“You’ll fight.”

“Relentlessly.”

“Continuously with E.I.R.A bots…”

He looked back at them.

“Until I feel… you’ve entered the zone.”

.

.

.

Eira looked at the formation once and then at Zane.

“Boss… they’re ready.”

Zane nodded slightly. “E.I.R.A Bots, attack.”

This time there was no delay. The bots moved instantly.

Maera reacted first. She stepped forward and threw a punch at the nearest bot. It responded the same way, and their fists collided with a heavy impact. Both of them were pushed back a few steps.

Maera steadied herself and narrowed her eyes. Compared to before, this was manageable.

But the moment that thought formed—

Another fist came straight at her face.

She barely dodged. Even then, it grazed her cheek and blood spilled out.

Maera clicked her tongue and stepped back. “Damn it…”

The bot didn’t stop. It attacked again immediately, not giving her even a second to think.

On the other side, Drevin kept firing arrows in rapid succession. His aim was precise, targeting joints and movement points, but the bots didn’t go down. At best, they staggered before continuing forward.

Selene moved constantly, casting while retreating, trying to maintain distance. Her wand flickered with mana as she supported both Maera and Drevin, but the pressure kept increasing.

There were too many of them.

Zane stood at a distance, watching quietly.

The difference from before was clear. The bots were no longer overwhelmingly stronger—but now they were equal.

And that was worse.

Each bot matched them in strength, speed, and reaction.

And there were a hundred of them.

Maera blocked another hit and countered, only to be forced back again. Drevin shifted positions to avoid getting surrounded, while Selene’s breathing grew heavier as she kept casting without pause.

There was no time to think. No time to plan.

Only fight.

They had to keep moving, keep reacting, keep pushing forward.

Because if they slowed down even for a moment—

They would be overwhelmed.

And this was only the beginning.

Because the goal was clear.

To push past limits.

To immerse completely.

Until—

They enter the zone.

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